There wasn’t a press conference called, and there certainly weren’t any television appearances to tout their next month or so off, because, well, why bring attention to the fact that they’re taking the rest of the summer off after getting so much done during this legislative session?

Now, I don’t want to go off on a tangent about full-time, well-paid public employees getting a summer break, especially when they get one in the winter as well, but it is definitely an issue we should spend some time on in a future column.

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Right now, let’s back up to that, getting so much done comment.

That may have sounded a bit sarcastic.

They actually did get a lot done.

The problem I have is simple.

They didn’t get done what I wanted, and I’m going to go out on a limb and say the majority of you wanted.

I know I’ve written about it before, but I’m writing about it again. And, unfortunately, I’ll probably have to write about it again and again.

So, why don’t we all start chanting, and not stop until it we get it.

“We want property tax reform.”

“We want property tax reform.”

“We want property tax reform.”

House Bill 76 is sitting in committee. It’s a new and improved version of House Bill 1776 and there’s a Senate companion bill.

And here we sit.

Show of hands — how many of you didn’t see your property taxes go up this year?

Make sure you read that closely. I wrote, didn’t see your taxes go up.

I shouldn’t see many hands, because unless I’m mistaken, every school district within ear shot of our building raised taxes this year.

This will never end folks.

And I get it.

School districts need more money to keep operating at the same level. Unfortunately, a big chunk of that is because of the massive pension hole the Rendell administration allowed the state to dig on a daily basis, but that’s another column.

The problem I have is how districts are funded.

The property tax worked for years, but it has gotten completely out of control to the point where people are losing their homes.

We have to find a better way to fund public education.

Wait a minute, we have found a better way.

House Bill 76 will remove funding public education from the backs of property owners. By increasing the personal income tax, which is placing part of the burden on the backs of the employed, where it should be, and expanding the sales tax, as well as the state’s gambling revenue, there should be enough to offset the $12.6 billion needed for public education.

Of course, we can then have a conversation about why it cost $12.6 billion to fund public education, pensions aside.

During one of my Politically Direct interviews, and I don’t remember which as I’m writing this, but during one of them a politician told me there is a school district in western Pennsylvania that spends about $8,000 a year to educate each student. Why then does it cost $12,000 a year in Norristown, and a whopping $19,000 a year in Lower Merion?

Yet another topic for another column.

Let’s get back to HB 76.

Here’s what needs to happen.

You need to contact your state representative today and tell them to do everything within their power to get the bill out of committee and onto the floor for a vote.

It’s time for some groundswell here, folks, of the proportion the likes of which we have not seen since the days of the midnight pay raise.

Remember those days?

You were mad as heck and you weren’t going to take it anymore.

I personally delivered several hundred signatures to a caravan headed to Harrisburg calling for the raises to be revoked. We need to rekindle that fire.

So, let’s say it all together.

“We want property tax reform.”

“We want property tax reform.”

“We want property tax reform.”

Stan Huskey is the editor of The Times Herald. He can be reached at 610-272-2500 ext. 215 or at shuskey@timesherald.com. Follow @StanHuskey on Twitter.